Author: Garnik Zakarian

 10:11,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Lebanon is still in heavy social and economic situation, the country is facing a financial-economic crisis.

In an interview to ARMENPRESS, Editor-in-Chief of the Lebanese-based Azdag daily Shahan Gantaharyan said that the country is in difficult economic, social situation. “There are price increases everywhere. There are first essentials, but their prices are not affordable, and this leads to crisis. Unemployment, inflation, the drastic decline of the Lebanese currency have created problems. All these has also affected the Armenian community. The agenda of the community has completely changed. Helping the needy ones is the priority”, he said.

The Catholicosate, the Diocese, the political parties operating in the community and various charity unions are trying to provide the most needy ones with assistance. Former Lebanese-Armenians, who have settled in different countries during the civil war, are also providing support. Overcoming the current crisis, helping the needy families and implementing anti-crisis programs are in the agenda of the Lebanese-Armenian community.

“This has also been supplemented by the pandemic. Although currently the hospitals are not so full of COVID-19 patients, the country’s resources are less and the assistance programs are not so comprehensive. All these is leading to a difficult condition”, Shahan Gantaharyan said.

In addition to social problems, the Armenian community is also facing a difficulty of keeping stable the activity of local structures, press and national institutions. There is a problem of preserving the Armenian educational centers. Due to the socio-economic problems, families are just unable to pay for their children’s education. Gantaharyan said that the Armenian community structures from different countries are also trying to help.

“The press is also facing a difficulty. There is a problem of preserving the orphanages and clinics, and the financial resources are lacking”, he added.

This crisis led to complaints among the people, and these complaints are demonstrated by protests, like it happened in the beginning of the year. Those representing the field of public transport held a three-day protest, urging to revise the fuel prices. Protests are also sometimes taking place against banks, government structures, but they are not so large.

“It seems people have been disappointed. Parliamentary elections are expected in May. There are civil state demands to change Lebanon’s community system, but I think this will happen immediately as it’s a rooted system and it will lead to shocks. It must be agreed upon and be carried out phase by phase. Lebanon is soon entering into en election campaign in these conditions”, Gantaharyan said.

Asked whether there are plans among Lebanese-Armenians to leave the country, the Editor-in-Chief of Azdag said that there is such a tendency, people have just been deprived of the opportunity to use their bank funds. This is the main obstacle to moving. According to him, most of them also consider Armenia in the context of leaving Lebanon.

Reporting by Anna Gziryan

Armenian economy shows signs of activation – Eurasian Expert Club

 20:59,

YEREVAN, 11 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The indescribable efforts made by Armenian businessmen last year have significantly contributed to the recovery of the Armenian economy following the huge economic depression of 2020, ARMENPRESS reports Coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club, political analyst Aram Safaryan said at a press conference, presenting the results of the new research of the Eurasian Expert Club on the Armenian economy.

The Expert Club, with the help of its leading economists, has presented a new, the 7th study on the Armenia's economy in the context of Armenia's membership to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

In particular, Doctor of Economics, Professor Tatul Manaseryan found out in his research that after a severe 8% decline in 2020, the Armenian economy is showing signs of recovery.

According to the coordinator of the Club Aram Safaryan, Manaseryan singles out 4 main factors that contributed to the 5.8% economic growth in 2021. The first of them is the efforts of the Armenian businessman.

"Armenian businessmen have made indescribable efforts to rectify the situation after the 8% economic downturn in 2020, to record growth, thus providing a huge moral and financial benefit to our country. That is why we would like to express our words of praise to the representatives of the Armenian business field, who mainly produce finished goods and export them abroad. This is really a bravery,"the coordinator of the Eurasian Expert Club stressed.

The second important factor was the ban on the import of goods from Turkey in 2021, which stimulated the development of local products to replace imports.

"That one year was enough for the local producers, who replaced the import, to breathe and try to stand on their own two feet. You also noticed a lot of small and large household goods in stores, which have started to be produced in Armenia when the Armenian consumer got the opportunity to buy local products instead of those imported from Turkey," says Aram Safaryan.

The third factor contributing to economic growth, according to the economic study, is Armenia's membership to the EEU, and the fourth was the removal of many restrictions initiated by the government, which were introduced in 2020 to fight the coronavirus.

 12:58,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. There is no issue on Armenia’s agenda to join the Union State, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan told reporters.

“There is no such issue on Armenia’s agenda. If there is no such issue, my position is that Armenia is a sovereign country, a democratic state and should continue to be so”, he said.

Armenian Church calls on the international community to strictly respond to the undisguised cultural genocide of Baku

 20:53, 8 February, 2022

ETCHMIDZIN, 8 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls on all countries involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, first of all, the co-chairing states of the OSCE Minsk Group, sister churches and religious institutions, specialized international organizations to strictly respond to the undisguised cultural genocide implemented by Azerbaijan. ARMENPRESS reports the statement published on the Facebook page of the Mother See reads as follows,

 “Recently the authorities of Azerbaijan, in the person of the Minister of Culture, made another anti-Armenian initiative.

According to the statement of the latter “Working Group of professionals of Caucasian Albanian history and architecture” has been set up, comprised of local and foreign experts, the aim of which is to remove “the false traces left by Armenians” from the so-called the Caucasian Albanian religious temples.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strictly condemns this initiative of the Azerbaijani authorities and qualifies it as anti humanitarian and anti-civilizational activity with manifestation of hostility and hate against Armenia, Artsakh and Armenian people.

The Armenian identity of Christian sanctuaries under control of Azerbaijan is a scientifically proven reality and can’t become a subject of dispute within the framework of reasonable and objective thinking.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calles on all countries included in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, first of all, the co-chairing states of the OSCE Minsk Group, sister churches and religious institutions, international professional organizations to strictly respond to the fact of undisguised cultural genocide implemented by Azerbaijan in order to stop and prevent such expressions of vandalism.”

Turkey’s first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Ertuğrul Gazi is seen at the port in Dörtyol in the southern province of Hatay, Turkey, April 22, 2021. (AA Photo)

 12:07,

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. The preservation of geopolitical subjectivity of Artsakh is of vital importance for the ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic, Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Davit Babayan said during a press conference today.

“We must show the world that Artsakh exists, that we are controlling our fate, and this is very important for both the world to know and the important power centers to have a right idea about the situation. We must be guided by all this and continue our policy”, the FM said.

Latest Azeri attack on Armenia: OSCE calls to "refrain from the use of force"

 09:17,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from the use of force and engage in a meaningful dialogue to settle the dispute around Nagorno Karabakh, the Polish OSCE Chairmanship told ARMENPRESS, when asked to present its assessment of the January 11 deadly Azerbaijani attack on Armenian military positions.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in the South Caucasus. We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force and engage in a meaningful dialogue to settle the dispute around Nagorno Karabakh. Poland as OSCE Chair is committed to working with partners to renew and strengthen our efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and promoting sustainable development in the region. We will support the effort of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard”, the Polish OSCE Chairmanship said.

 18:23,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office  Zbigniew Rau expresses deep concern about renewed clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and that this violence resulted in casualties, ARMENPRESS reports, reads the statement issued by the OSCE.

“We call to refrain from the use of force and to continue the meaningful political dialogue initiated recently. Poland as the OSCE Chair is committed to working with partners to renew and strengthen efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and promoting sustainable development in the region.

We support the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard. We also reiterate our strong support for the continuing work of the Personal Representative of the Polish OSCE Chair-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk”, reads the statement.